Make Podcast Ads Work for You: Test and Refine Your Campaigns

Once you’ve measured some part or all of a campaign, now it’s time to put those learnings to work.

Every successful podcast advertiser has realized that success over the course of multiple campaigns, discovering what works best and honing their approach. To do that you test, refine and repeat

Test

Repetition Is Key

One spot, one time, on one show simply won’t generate the results you’re after. Listeners need to be introduced to your brand, and have an opportunity to get to know and understand your product.

Test as many shows as your budget allows, so you have more information about how your messaging is working. This also will let you directly compare the performance of multiple shows against one another. Aim to book at least three spots per show. Give the listeners reminders; use that repetition to make sure they remember the offer, the URL, and why they should engage, or buy!

Use Multiple Indicators

While sales are an important indicator, so are landing page traffic and social mentions. Make sure you understand your funnel, and what that typical path to sale is for your product. And be sure path is clear for your first-time customer who is activated by a podcast ad, and take full advantage of the interest being generated.

Refine

Adjust Your Approach

If you’re getting some results from a show, but are hoping for more, take a look at your copy and listen to the actual host reads. Perhaps your message could be clearer, or maybe your offer needs to be revised, or made more prominent. Also consider trying a different spot position.

Don’t forget that listeners often need to hear a message multiple times before they’re motivated to act. So don’t rush to change things right after your first spot airs. And remember that some listeners will check out the new episode with your ad right away, but others might wait a week or more after the episode is released.

PRO-TIP: If your campaign is big enough for an ad effectiveness study, be sure to assess brand and product statements to see how strong the association is with listeners. Use this data to refine and strengthen your copy with the help of the Midroll team.

Try New Shows or Schedules

Sometimes, despite our best assessment, a particular audience or show just isn’t the right fit for your campaign. But that doesn’t mean podcast ads won’t work for you.

Give it a shot with new shows, even ones that have a different size of audience, or different demographics than the previous ones. Also, if you saw performance, but not as much as you would like, don’t be afraid to try a show again at a later date. It may turn out that listeners need a little more time to think about your product or service, and having a reminder several weeks later could cause that tipping point.

Repeat

We said it before, but it’s important to say again: The best success with podcast ad campaigns comes from repetition. And it’s not just about repeating the same thing over and over, but about testing, tweaking, and then repeating with those changes in place.